Australian members...

[acushla]

I just want to ask if all of our Australian friends are doing all-right. The news here is that parts of your country have been devastated along the far northeast coast by heavy rainfall following powerful Cyclone Larry..

I sincerely hope everybody is OK.

[Protocol]

I am on a pedal powered generator and peddling as hard as I can to keep my computer running long enough to type this post.
No seriously. Actually, the devastation was caused by heavy winds of up to 290 kilometres per hour (180 miles per hour) from Cyclone Larry. It happened North of me, and yes the town of Innisfail and neighbouring areas are severly devastated with no sewerage, water or electricity. And they expect it to be at least a week until some services are returned. Our leaders have flown up there today to inspect the damage and I guess show some sign of interest to the people who have lost everything. Immediate small amounts of money have already been offered from both State and Federal governments with more substantial offerings being made shortly after they have visited and inspected the damage. Also, John Howard stated on last nights news that George Bush had phoned offering his condolences and assistance.
Apart from housing and other personal possessions that were destroyed or damaged, Innisfail and surrounding areas is a major fruit supplier to the country, and there have been reports of fruit prices soaring in the wake of all this. Some fruit may not be available at all. It has been predicted that it will take many years for things to return to normal.

The most important thing about it all is that so far there have been no deaths reported.

Thanks for your concern mate. :)

[madjo]

You forget to watch the news for a few days... and this happens.

I wish all the best for the people who are struck by this.

[Rex_Mundi_Incarnit]

My condolences for those 7000 homeless...

[Willow of Oz]

You forget to watch the news for a few days... and this happens.

Damn straight. And I live in Australia. Admittedly I heard something about this the other day, a cat 4 at the time and they were going to force people to evacuate. Huh, I'd forgotten about that till I read Acushla's post and nearly died of shock. Admittedly I have no tv, I haven't managed to get the radio on my alarm clock working yet and I don't buy newspapers. And I don't even tend to read online news much, other than beta news and the occasional other tech sites. Good thing I don't live in the path of hurricanes, eh?

[madjo]

Damn straight. And I live in Australia. Admittedly I heard something about this the other day, a cat 4 at the time and they were going to force people to evacuate. Huh, I'd forgotten about that till I read Acushla's post and nearly died of shock. Admittedly I have no tv, I haven't managed to get the radio on my alarm clock working yet and I don't buy newspapers. And I don't even tend to read online news much, other than beta news and the occasional other tech sites. Good thing I don't live in the path of hurricanes, eh?
"What is that ruckus... it really seems quite windy outside... huh? flying sheep, I must be dreami-AAAAAAAAAH."

sorry, couldn't help myself ;)

I haven't said this yet (shame on me):
My condolences to the family of the people who didn't survive this hurricane.

(of course I meant the family of the people ;) )

[Willow of Oz]

My condolences to the people who didn't survive this hurricane.

ditto. Though Protocol says 0 deaths reported.

[acushla]

Damn straight. And I live in Australia. Admittedly I heard something about this the other day, a cat 4 at the time and they were going to force people to evacuate. Huh, I'd forgotten about that till I read Acushla's post and nearly died of shock. Admittedly I have no tv, I haven't managed to get the radio on my alarm clock working yet and I don't buy newspapers. And I don't even tend to read online news much, other than beta news and the occasional other tech sites. Good thing I don't live in the path of hurricanes, eh?I know exactly what you mean.

[madjo]

ditto. Though Protocol says 0 deaths reported.
ow shoot.. missed that one :) (my day is full of missers today :( )

[Protocol]

Admittedly I have no tv
Then how do you get to see Dr. Phil? :laugh:

[rorythedog]

I also would like to extend my best wishes to all those left without a roof.

I also don't have a telly (though I did hear about this through the BBC website).

[idefiXX]

I also would like to extend my best wishes to all those left without a roof.
Ditto.
I also don't have a telly (though I did hear about this through the BBC website).
How do you guys manage to live without television ?? ;)
This must be a horrible life... [sarc.]

[Rex_Mundi_Incarnit]

How do you guys manage to live without television ?? ;)

My PC is my television (with a tv card). I hardly watch anything on the telly. I prefer to download my shows.

[Todd The Kiwi]

My PC is my television (with a tv card). I hardly watch anything on the telly. I prefer to download my shows.oh to be uncapped, 10GB per month here...

it seems to be the decade of bad shit happening to earth don't you guys reckon ?

[rorythedog]

oh to be uncapped, 10GB per month here...

it seems to be the decade of bad shit happening to earth don't you guys reckon ?

Karma.

[Willow of Oz]

it seems to be the decade of bad shit happening to earth don't you guys reckon ?

No, it's just that in previous decades you were younger, more carefree, less worldly, and indulging in life's less salubrious comforts :foureyes:

I don't have a tv capture card, but that's on the short list.

[WHAT?]

Hope things work out there!
I had heard about it the other day, and thought to post about it myself as I was watching the news. I've been way too busy at work, and working late at night too. Just had a moment to post in!

:globe: troubles be gone!

[Protocol]

Innisfail Diary: One Family's Struggle

Monday March 27, 2006

Heavily pregnant Leanne, 25, her husband of seven years and their 15-month-old son planned to ride out Cyclone Larry in their Innisfail house.

But when Larry was upgraded to a category-four storm, the family decided to leave and stay with friends in nearby Atherton Tablelands. It was a wise decision. When they returned home, they found the roof and trusses of their newly renovated home had been ripped off by the force of the storm.

Each day this week, Leanne — whose second child is due in four weeks — will update you on her family's progress in her online diary.

Sunday, March 26, 7pm:

If a cyclone hits, they say it is best to get under a mattress. But when Cyclone Larry was on its way, I was scared that I wouldn't be able to keep my 15-month-old son still if we did that. I was also scared that if I got too frightened I would go into labour early.

And then when they said it would be a category four or five cyclone, we decided that was it.

I didn't want to risk it, so at the last minute we decided to go to Tablelands.

After the storm, we heard from our neighbours that our house had been badly damaged. We called them and they said: "Are you sitting down?" And then they told us we'd lost our roof. They lost the roof of their house too.

It's strange, but the house we moved out of only five months ago was not damaged at all and it still has power and everything!

And what the cyclone didn't wreck, the rain did.

Apart from its missing roof, the kitchen of our house was fine. The wind didn't seem to reach that part of the house. The phone was still plugged into the wall and the fruit bowl was still sitting there. But all that rain that came after the cyclone has ruined it and it will have to be completely replaced. I didn't really like the kitchen anyway.

All the house's interior walls will have to be replaced and the new timber floor we put in will have to be replaced too.

I am due to give birth in Innisfail hospital in four weeks. But at the moment the hospital is only accepting emergency cases so I may have to have the baby in Cairns. I need a check-up and will head to Cairns tomorrow and see what they say. I feel okay about this at the moment but if, in a few weeks, the hospital is still not accepting anything but emergency cases, I will start getting worried. My first child was late, so hopefully this one will be too!

I kind of wish the baby was a few more months away. I feel really unsettled and I am the kind of person that likes to have everything organised. I feel guilty that I have unsettled my son too. He doesn't really understand what's happened. (He was too busy playing with his friends at Tablelands during the cyclone and seemed oblivious to it all.) But he's been extra whingy and a bit extra cuddly since then.

We've had some good news from the insurance people. They've agreed to pay our rent for a year while our house is rebuilt. We have found a house to rent and hopefully we will be able to move in before the baby comes.

The water came on a day or so after the cyclone and now it is safe to drink without boiling which is great. It would have been so much worse if we didn’t have water. You don't realise how much you need it.

The majority of Innisfail still don’t have the power back on. The main street has power and houses in the newer part of Innisfail have underground power, so they have been connected to a generator I think and now have power.

We're staying with my husband's parents. There are six of us in the house, but it's great. I don’t have to cook every night and there is always someone around to babysit my son if I need to go back to our house and clean up.

The phone hasn't stopped ringing all week. Relatives and friends have turned up with gift baskets, money and things for the baby. A whole group turned up yesterday to help us clean up the back yard. Some of them I didn't even know!

I feel very fortunate. We have really good family and our church helps too. Without all that, I would feel more depressed.